Hi All - the following freeware titles are new to me, they all sound interesting and useful. If you know about any of them or have had some experience with any...please comment, let us know your thoughts and whether you like them or not:
1) Disk Defrag - This appears to be a new approach for defragging the hard drive, incorporating Windows built-in disk defragger into a GUI with some very useful options. This from the author's site.."[i:17cw6ydn]It optimizes Windows Disk Defragmenter by running it under optimal conditions. It restarts you computer and then runs only defragmentation. Once defrag is over, it will automatically shutdown or restart your computer. The initial restart refreshes your system and running only defragmentation ensures that your system gives maximum attention to defrag process, hence making it faster and not only faster but now your defragmenter will be able to defrag more files than usual as there is a possibility that files which were set to be locked by OS are not yet locked"[/i:17cw6ydn]
Read more and download from here: http://www.asoftwareplus.com/d.....efrag.html
2) DiskDigger - Is data recovery software which, the author claims...[i:17cw6ydn]"brute-forces its way through your media, scanning it thoroughly for any trace of files that can be recovered. I don
Sorry ozbloke, but when it comes to defragmenting, nothing comes close to defraggler ( http://www.defraggler.com/ ). I've tried many others (even thought I found something better) and always returned to this product. Give it a try and comment your delight, Mindblower!
"For the needy, not the greedy"
Hi MB - No need to be sorry mate, these were not recommendations...rather, they are new to me and I am seeking words from the wise.
I must admit I haven't ever tried Defraggler. I used JKDefrag for a long time, had a brief look at Auslogics and am currently using Smart Defrag from Iobit. I did investigate Defraggler (at the same time I changed over to Smart Defrag). A couple of things put me off...first and foremost, there is no 'disk optimisation' in Defaggler and secondly, no ability to schedule defragmentation to run in the background when the system is idle. Although the latter is not a biggee for me, I do want a defragger which will also optimise the disk..... if that feature is added to Defraggler in the future I may take another look.
cheers now.....JIM
Are you sure you want such features ozbloke? First and foremost, every harddisk gets fragmented and trying to stop this from happening is pointless. There is a mythic that having a harddisk fully and constantly optimized increases performance. The truth is to keep files that are often used (and that get updated) defragmented. The harddisk as a whole does not need the pampering (but it needs it every so often - depending on what the disk does).
Prior to a full disk defrag, one should remove junk and deleted files (IMHO). This sort of puts a slant on running any defrag problem at specific times. It should ideally be done when the computer is offline, so no new extra files gets dumped onto the disk.
I tried the number one wonder Diskkeeper program (there is a free version) with all it's different types (they offer a 30 day trial), and found it a joke. The program is okay, goes offer many features, but most are smoke and mirrors. Their reading material on harddisks (including partitioning) and defragmenting drives is excellent.
Alias, as with all programs, personal preferences decide the winner, Mindblower!
"For the needy, not the greedy"
Hey MB - You are quite right, I do not need nor want my HDD being constantly defragged in the background...I have this feature disabled in Smart Defrag. Does Defraggler include a scheduler? I couldn't find any mention of it on their site. As I said, it is no biggee for me but is a feature many would like included. On the other hand, I do think that optimisation is an important part of the overall process....imo a product which just defrags is doing only half the job....(well, maybe a bit more than half ). Given the choice between two products, each receiving good reviews from both 'experts' and users...one doesn't include optimisation and the other does....I would choose the latter every time.
This is what Iobit have to say re Smart Defrag's optimisation process: [i:2899y591]"It also streamlines your file system, places the frequently used files and directories into the fastest area of the disk, enabling your computer to run at top speed with the most stability." [/i:2899y591]
I had a look at 'Gizmo's Best Freeware' site before making my decision, both products are highly rated but included in the negative comments for Defraggler was this....[i:2899y591]"No disk optimisation"[/i:2899y591]....so it would appear they place some importance on this feature.
I have read a fair bit on defragging and defraggers...there are lots of differing opinions but one thing almost all agree on is that the defragging process is most efficient when initiated at boot time. This is a feature that Diskeeper and other commercial offerings include which is missing from the freeware.
Personal preferences decide, yep....ain't that the truth!!
cheers mate...JIM
Now we're talking ozbloke. Yes there is a scheduler (click settings on top, then options, then schedule), but a rather primitive type. As for what experts say, to enjoy life one must take it with (not like) a grain of salt.
As for the optimization aspect, if you run one defrag program after another, change the order, you'll find they ALL find something wrong. Yep, this is one of those things I did when I was bored of watching paint dry. Cheers mate, Mindblower!
"For the needy, not the greedy"
[quote="ozbloke":2ig77e48]
<snip>
3) Disk Wipe - Securely erase/wipe all data from disk drives,including USB sticks and other portable devices. I got pretty excited when I read about this one..mostly because it claims to be portable. However, further investigation revealed contradictory remarks on the publisher's site as to whether it is portable or not, plus the download is an .exe file which suggests some sort of installation is necessary. I sent an email to the publisher for clarification but so far have not received any reply.
Any and all comments most welcome and appreciated,
cheers.....JIM[/quote:2ig77e48]
Hey, Jim, take a look at this page, http://diskwipe.org/user_guide.php. Apparently, it's a single .exe that doesn't require installation. I don't know anything about Disk Wipe; I've never used it. There are so many of those things out there, it makes one's head spin. They all claim to securely delete files, and probably do if they just delete and then overwrite the file. The argument about secure data destruction has been settled: [url=http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/security-corner/the-great-drive-wiping-controversy-settled-at-last/:2ig77e48]The Great Drive Wiping Controversy Settled at Last[/url:2ig77e48]. That said, get yourself a copy of the best Open Source disk wiping program available: [url=http://www.dban.org:2ig77e48]Darik's Boot and Nuke (DBAN)[/url:2ig77e48]. And if you want the best-of-breed, time-tested secure file deletion program, use SDelete, detailed in my article [url=http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/security-corner/use-this-little-known-tool-to-securely-delete-files-and-folders-on-your-hard-drive/:2ig77e48]Use This Little Known Tool to Securely Delete Files and Folders on Your Hard Drive[/url:2ig77e48]. DBAN can be set up on a bootable USB thumb drive and SDelete runs in DOS or Windows command line.
Hey Ken - Thanks for the heads up. DBAN is certainly rated numero uno when it comes to completely wiping a HDD. It sounds as though 'SDelete' is for securely deleting certain files rather than wiping an entire drive?
I've read a few reports that suggest DBAN does not work well with some of the newer hardware and even though Disk Wipe will not operate outside the Windows environment it still sounds like a viable alternative for wiping HDD's, especially prior to disposal. Just pop the old HDD in alongside a working HDD running Windows and wipe away.
Actually, I have 2 internal HDD's in my Vista machine, the second of which contains no important data..I might just use it to give Disk Wipe a trial run.
cheers and thanks again mate,
JIM
[quote="ozbloke":2baglz1a]Hey Ken - Thanks for the heads up. DBAN is certainly rated numero uno when it comes to completely wiping a HDD. It sounds as though 'SDelete' is for securely deleting certain files rather than wiping an entire drive?
I've read a few reports that suggest DBAN does not work well with some of the newer hardware <snip>
[/quote:2baglz1a]
You're welcome. I've had no trouble at all with DBAN, but I suppose newer SATA drives could be problematic. In any event, DBAN development continues, so those things will eventually be addressed. The whole area of drive wiping is fertile ground for discussion, even after the conclusive tests I referenced earlier. Some people are just paranoid, I guess, and for those, I present an alternative drive wiping method: [url=http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/security-corner/paranoid-about-hard-drive-security-try-this/:2baglz1a]Paranoid About Hard Drive Security? Try This[/url:2baglz1a]. I've yet another article in the works that uses another little known tool to securely delete files, folders, and entire volumes.
Let me know how Disk Wipe works.
[quote="ozbloke":2vu8nbis]Hey MB - You are quite right, I do not need nor want my HDD being constantly defragged in the background...I have this feature disabled in Smart Defrag. Does Defraggler include a scheduler? I couldn't find any mention of it on their site. As I said, it is no biggee for me but is a feature many would like included. On the other hand, I do think that optimisation is an important part of the overall process....imo a product which just defrags is doing only half the job....(well, maybe a bit more than half ). Given the choice between two products, each receiving good reviews from both 'experts' and users...one doesn't include optimisation and the other does....I would choose the latter every time.
This is what Iobit have to say re Smart Defrag's optimisation process: [i:2vu8nbis]"It also streamlines your file system, places the frequently used files and directories into the fastest area of the disk, enabling your computer to run at top speed with the most stability." [/i:2vu8nbis]
I had a look at 'Gizmo's Best Freeware' site before making my decision, both products are highly rated but included in the negative comments for Defraggler was this....[i:2vu8nbis]"No disk optimisation"[/i:2vu8nbis]....so it would appear they place some importance on this feature.
I have read a fair bit on defragging and defraggers...there are lots of differing opinions but one thing almost all agree on is that the defragging process is most efficient when initiated at boot time. This is a feature that Diskeeper and other commercial offerings include which is missing from the freeware.
Personal preferences decide, yep....ain't that the truth!!
cheers mate...JIM[/quote:2vu8nbis]
Poor Joep's been getting beat up lately on ACF, but I tried his free DiskTune and found it to a decent defragger. It also includes an "optimisation" feature. The GUI's not pretty, but seems to work. I compared it side by side with Diskeeper 2009. DiskTune took care of the fragmented files and grouped the data as stated. Diskeeper didn't exactly mirror the way the other program arranged things, but I couldn't see a substantial performance difference. ymmv.
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